Why do we say "Rest In Peace" when someone passes away? Really??? I honestly want to know. Have you ever even thought about it, or is it just a trite phrase thrown out because it is typically said during a time of loss?

Now first of all, don't be hating on me, I'm honestly just questioning this today, and last I checked we're STILL allowed our varied opinions. Or at least I think we are....

Second, and let me make this very clear, this in NO way reflects any one person who has passed away. It is just a general and broad discussion that is going on in my brain today regarding this subject, and I've got to let it out.

I also don't want to be insensitive because the loss of a loved one is so extremely hard, and I think genuinely all of us just want our words to bring comfort to someone during their time of grief.

So....back to my original question. Why do we say "Rest In Peace?"

When we die there is only one of two places we will go, Heaven or Hell. While it is a wonderful thought and hope that everyone we love will go to Heaven, sadly it is not reality.

And listen, I can't sugar coat it either...because if I do, I will be responsible for others not knowing the truth. So even though my opinion may not be popular, and even though you may delete me, or hate me, at least I will know in my heart I spoke truth no matter how hard it is because truth is what really matters.

And this matters...as true believers and followers of Christ we can't afford to get this wrong! We can't afford for others to get this wrong either because it can cost them their eternity!

I am burdened for the lost. I am so burdened for those who are living in this dying world without knowing Christ as their savior.

Jesus IS the "Prince of Peace" He is the "Peace that passes ALL understanding" and when I die I desperately want to Rest in PEACE....In His Eternal Peace.

Isn't it interesting that this is the hope of the general public too? Even if they do not believe in God at all they will still say "Rest in Peace." This is because within ALL of us there is a hope and desire for eternal Peace. A hope....

The only other option friends is Hell. An eternity of endless pain and anguish. An everlasting nightmare. Believe me...Satan would love for us to choose this option, because he hates us! He hates you and he hates me. He doesn't want us to live in Peace, and he especially does not want us to rest in Peace! He longs for all of us to believe his lies and be condemned to an eternity in Hell with him.

In order to truly Rest in Peace we must die to ourselves and live our lives for Christ. We must seek Him and follow Him with all of our hearts. We can't just limp along on our own selfish little path hoping to squeak into Heaven's gates. We can't cut and paste the commands of the Bible to fit our desires. We must listen and obey God's commands. We must be sold out fully committed followers of God. We can no longer just be fans of Jesus. We must be followers!

We cannot deny Christ and then hope to "Rest in Peace." We cannot earn our place in Heaven by simply being a "good" person, or by being talented, or even by being loved really well by our families. Our eternal security in Heaven was bought for us at a high price. Jesus hung on the cross to die for you and for me. Blameless He took our sin, our shame, and He made a way for us to Rest in Peace. He died so that we might live, and that we might have peace in eternity with Him in Heaven. Do you know Him? Do you have His Peace?

We will never truly know until we get to Heaven if a person was fully committed to Christ or not. Yes, we can see how a person lives out their walk with Christ. We can make assumptions based on their actions, but the truth is only God knows the heart. Even moments before someone's life ends here on earth God may be tugging at their heart. Even the most hard heart can be softened by God. Moments before they pass from this world an unbeliever can earnestly and sincerely cry out to God to save them.

Only if our eternal security "Rests" in Christ will we truly "Rest in Peace."

Who do you know today that needs to know this truth? Who will die tomorrow not ever knowing? Please share this truth with everyone you know! Please...before it is too late!

Oh God please help us know YOU so that we can truly "Rest in Your Peace."

We have a three gift rule for our child at Christmas. Yep... just three gifts! Did you happen to hear my blissful sigh? You may have missed it over the sound of noisy registers and the onslaught of frantic shoppers. I can actually feel my heartbeat slow and my stress level plummet to an all-time low. Ahhhhh...Oh how I love our three gift rule!

Now this rule has not always been set securely in place my friend. I shudder as I remember a time when I wore the same frantic wide eyed empty stare of the forlorn shoppers today. A time when I too carried the heavy burden of finding the perfect gifts and lots of them.

When our son was three he had his first "big" Christmas, and it was AWFUL. I watched as my normally polite and thankful child turned into someone I didn't even recognize. He tore into package after package caring less and less about each thing he opened. Each new and marvelous toy left him wanting, unsatisfied, and craving for more. When he was done and the flurry of paper settled on the floor my heart felt empty. That year I vowed that Christmas would never again be about the "stuff" but it would be focused on the Savior.

I thought I'd give you a little peak of what we do now and maybe challenge you to look at Christmas a little differently this year.

Check out our super cool stacked snowman present! (Please don't give me credit for the amazing idea, I found it on Pinterest!) Isn't he cute? No no, not that the little guy in red…the snowman! Haha! Isn't it awesome??? Three simple presents wrapped in white paper stacked like a snowman! I love it, and so does my son! It is so fun and easy to do. So here's the rule for the gifts....

We also add a hat, scarf, and gloves to ours that he can wear. If you live somewhere warm add a beach towel, sun glasses, flip flops, etc. Get CREATIVE! Make it memorable.I love snow, it’s beautiful, but I love what snow represents to me even more! The Bible says “Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” (Psalms 51:7b) I love the picture of my dirty sin filled heart being purified clean by His cleansing blood. God can take the hardest heart bent towards evil and melt it with His perfect love. So for my family the symbolism that the snowman brings has an extra special meaning.

Over the years I've had many people ask what we do for Christmas. It's funny to see their reactions, especially from those who are actually saddened that my son only receives three gifts. Awww Only 3…

So I want to respond to that.

I think it's really sad to see kids tear into piles and piles of presents on Christmas day. It breaks my heart actually. Do kids really need more stuff? More cheap plastic toys to get buried in a closet somewhere? Or maybe more electronics to distance us further and have us spend more time ALONE than with each other? And what about greed…have we trained our children to always want more? When is enough ENOUGH??? We live in a “selfie” society that is actually inducing the human condition known as entitlement. It must stop somewhere.

And...Aren't you sick of the race? The stressful search for the perfect present? Ick...I am.

My kid has everything he needs. Literally...everything. The ONLY thing he really needs is more quality time with Mommy and Daddy. Actually, he desperately needs more of our time. More of us INVESTING in who he is and who he is to become. He needs more of our undivided attention instead of us asking him to be patient just a little bit longer because Mommy and Daddy are busy with really "important" things.

I want to raise my son to be Godly, kind, loving, and unselfish. I feel like a HUGE failure most days. Don't we all? Don’t you ever have days when you think "Wow, I'm totally messing this parenting gig up!" Whew…I sure do!

The very best GIFT I can ever give my son before leaving this earth is to show him how to passionately love and follow hard after Jesus. In order to do this "I" need to be the example...I do. Who else is going to be the example for him? I want him to have a real relationship with a REAL God, not the "churchy" Jesus is the reason blah blah religious rhetoric surface Christianity that so many of us have while we go about on our own merry little selfish ways.

Listen, God knew we would fail, I fail miserably every day. He knew we would all be selfish sinners in desperate need of a Savior. God gave us the greatest gift anyone could ever give when He sent his Son to be born in a manger. And shouldn't we get so excited by His awesome gift that it trumps ALL other gifts anyway? Everything else should pale in comparison to a living God.

And how was this Holy baby celebrated? How? By THREE gifts! Frankincense, Gold, and Myrrh were brought to Him by WISE-men. They were Wise! Oh God help me to be wise! Help me to lead and love my son and others to you in this selfie sin stained world.

This year I am challenged to give LESS of the world away and MORE of Jesus away. Want to join me? I’d LOVE to start a three gift snowman trend! I’d love to see your snowman gift pictures or hear of how you and your family make Jesus the center of your celebration!

This year I challenge YOU to get rid of the stuff and be satisfied with the SAVIOR! He is more than enough!

We are the LIGHT of the world! God has called us to burn bright for Him, but wait...what if your light has burnt out? What if you feel like the flame is barely a flicker? You feel like life has kicked the dust over you and you no longer shine. Believe me...I have been there. As Christians we are called to be the salt and light of this world. (Matthew 5:13-16) It's so easy for us to feel like we've lost our flavor, we've lost our shine. But what God says about us is infinitely more important than what this silly world says. Have you ever felt rejected, left out, and all alone? Have you felt hopeless and wondered what your purpose was? Have you wondered do I even matter? We'll you DO! You matter to God more than you know. It's hard to feel rejected in this world, but don't forget even Jesus was rejected. Jesus! Can you imagine that? He led a Holy and blameless life yet He was condemned to die. The "religious" leaders of that time were offended by Him. They were offended by the One who came to give them life. He was there to save them, and they missed it with their rules and legalistic beliefs. They were offended by His name, and by His teachings. They were offended by Him. I love this verse, it says- “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you... If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you... because they do not know Him who sent Me." John 15:18-21 The world loves it's own...Wow! So if you feel rejected because of Jesus, I'd say you're in good company! Are you serving the world or are you serving a risen Savior? Who do you care to impress? Don't hide your light, don't water down the flavor of Christ in your life! And remember the ones who reject you now may be the ones you lead to Christ later! Shine bright friend NO matter the cost! YOU are the LIGHT in this world! Love, Tj

They are dying right in front of us, taking their last breath, pulse fading. Their heartbeat becomes faint; they struggle to breathe. All hope seems lost. Will someone reach them in time? They are so sick…it seems as if they are beyond rescue. Is help coming? You look around, there must be someone who is trained to save a life, but there is no one else but YOU. What can you do? The moment is URGENT…it is a life or death EMERGENCY. And so many times we walk away….We do, we simply walk away.What if it was your parent, spouse, child, or friend who was dying right in front of you? Would you walk away? Could you walk away? Or in desperation would you do ALL that you could to rescue them? Would you give them your last breath? Would you pound on their chest with all the strength you had left in your body? Would you be relentless in the pursuit of hearing their heartbeat start just one more time? Think about it…Really THINK about it. I want you to picture someone you love dying right in front of you. I know that is an overwhelming thought, but WE should ALL be overwhelmed for the dying.Now…what if it is a stranger? Someone we have no relationship with at all. No life connection with. What then?We face this every day. Every day we come into contact with lost people. Lost people we love, and lost strangers. People who are dying to know Jesus. People who are broken, and in desperate need of a Savior. People who need a life line NOW, before it is too late.And we walk away.What are we waiting for? WHAT? Why do we shy away from sharing the gospel? Why do we care about physical emergency more than SPIRITUAL URGENCY? This life is temporary…it is a vapor. Where we go after this, it is ETERNAL. It’s forever, infinity. It matters. Every life matters. Shouldn’t we be sharing the life giving- life rescuing- love of Jesus with anyone and EVERYONE we come in contact with? Their eternity is an emergency! They are dying. We do not know when our next opportunity to witness to this person will be. What if we NEVER get another chance? What if THIS is the only moment we get…will we take it?We should have an overwhelming sense of urgency welling up within us to rescue the lost. To not let one more life needlessly perish on our watch. Our greatest call as Christians is to love and lead others to Christ. It’s not about getting cozy in our pews and waiting to be fed. It’s not about our happy little church club with friends we like and are comfortable with. God has called us to come away from the safe…come away from our own security, and RISK it all for Him.Yes…it could cost you. You run the risk of offending them, but would you rather they die? You are not responsible for their feelings, but God will hold us accountable for their hearts. In Ezekiel 33:7-9 it says…“Son of man, I have made YOU a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to the wicked, ‘You wicked person, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade them from their ways, that person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the wicked person to turn from their ways and they do not do so, they will die for their sin, though you yourself will be saved.”This is a high cost friend. Their very life is at stake. We need to care about their heart more than any other fleeting thing in this world, more than our reputation, more than our popularity. We need to bring the love of Jesus to them with all humility and kindness of speech. We need to show them the mercy and grace of a God who desires that NONE shall perish. We MUST let them know His redeeming love can overwhelm any of their brokenness and sin.Are we truly burdened for the lost? Do we lose sleep because we are begging God to show us how WE can effectively reach the dying? I don’t know about you, but I can’t simply continue to go about on my own merry little selfish way. I am so sick of the things that we concern ourselves with in this life. Meaningless nothingness. Things we chase that have NO eternal value. We rush about consumed with progress and protection for ourselves. We worry and strive for our own selfish pursuits and longings. Do we rush right past the hurting? Do we stop to care, listen, and LOVE the dying?What is our URGENT CARE response? How do we respond to the lost? We need to be a hospital for the broken, and a safe place for the lost. We need to love like Jesus loves, with NO reservation, but we need to speak truth in love before it is too late.Don’t you feel a shift in the world? A falling away from all that is good and holy. Our world has gotten so far away from God. We have exchanged God’s truth for a lie. We have changed His NEVER CHANGING word to fit our sin. We have added to the Bible to make us more comfortable in our ugliness. Satan is flooding the earth with his lies and deceit. Even people in the church have bought into his version of truth and justice. But he is a liar! Satan loves everything that is opposite of God’s character. The devil is easy to spot…just look for the things that completely CONTRAST with the Bible. We KNOW the truth though, because “Greater is HE that is in US than he that is in the world.” 1 John 4:4bWHO will stand up before all men and say NO MORE? I will not let another life get past ME without sharing God’s amazing grace. We do not need to be a specialist on the word of God to lead others to the light and love of Christ. We don’t have to be a perfectly seasoned Christian schooled in all Biblical knowledge and theory. We don’t EVEN need big fancy words and prayers. We simply need to love others and be obedient to Christ. Let God give us His words and wisdom; let God guide us. If you have been saved from much, rescued from the brink of death, this burden is yours too. This calling is YOURS too. This is not just for the Pastors, and Missionaries in distant lands. This calling to rescue the lost is for ALL of us who know the truth. This calling is on our soil, on our land. It’s in our homes, our neighborhoods, our jobs, and yes, even in our churches. We must reach the lost at all cost. What are YOU willing to risk for the cross? He said to them, “GO into ALL the WORLD and preach the gospel to ALL CREATION.” Mark 16:15The time is NOW friends! Please SHARE this message! DO NOT WAIT…GO WITH ALL BOLDNESS IN CHRIST JESUS.

First I really want to thank so many of you who were faithful to pray for me before the She Speaks Conference. Nothing I can say would even come close to conveying my deep gratitude for YOU. Thank you friends…Truly! I’m sorry it has taken me so long to post and reply to all your questions about book deals etc., but I was determined this week to rest and spend MUCH needed quiet time with my family. Thank you for your patience. It was evident during my preparations for the conference that satan (I made his name lowercase on purpose…it wasn’t a typo; he doesn’t deserve a capitol letter) did NOT want me to attend, OR finish my book proposal. 2 days before my flight I honestly thought I was going to have to cancel the trip…but God intervened in a mighty way. I’m not going to go into much detail on the attacks that my family suffered during the 3 weeks before the Conference, except to say that rebuking satan in THE GREAT NAME OF JESUS was the ONLY reason I believe we made it through. We really felt your prayers, and they gave us strength to call the devil what he really is, a liar and a loser. The conference was unlike anything I’ve ever attended in my life. Imagine over 800 women all in the writer/speaker field and yet not an ounce of competition in the group, not even a hint of it. It was so completely refreshing to my soul. There was such unity and grace in that place. I needed to see this and believe again that God’s girls could work together in one accord. There was such beauty, freedom, and healing in this for me. The women were actually FOR each other, rooting each other on, celebrating success of others because we know it is NOT our success that we’re after, but an advancement for the kingdom of God that we are longing for. Each and every lady I met had an authentic heart to serve Christ, and a genuine desire to help equip women to love and lead others to Jesus. I am so blessed to have made amazing lifelong godly friendships on this trip with women who are trustworthy and likeminded. Woman who have one goal in mind…to make Jesus FAMOUS. Women who like me understand what this calling means and how much it costs. I met so many women who have faced the same hard questions from their family or friends asking “who are you to write and publish a book, or who are you to speak?” It is so nice to not feel alone in this calling…to be in a room with other ladies who say “me too!” Listen, I’ve been battling ALL those questions. I’ve been wrestling with God because believe me, it would be so much easier NOT to write, NOT to speak. Besides…Who am I??? Who am I to think I am worthy of a calling such as this? Well let me tell you who I am….I am no one; I am unworthy; I am imperfect; I make mistakes; I will never know enough; and I will never have it all together. BUT GOD…God loves me anyway. Despite myself and my flaws, He supplies me with His mercy and grace. His love for ALL of us is never ending. I may be a nobody to others, but I am somebody to Jesus, and His opinion of me is all I need to be concerned about. So let me encourage you, if God has given you a heart to reach the lost, don’t look to others for permission. Listen to the voice who calls you; He will equip you. Big or small no calling goes unnoticed by Jesus. He sees you friend, and YOU are a somebody. The classes at She Speaks were phenomenal. I learned so much! I am so very thankful for all the keynote speakers and teachers who poured a wealth of knowledge into our hearts and minds. They were such incredible examples and humble servants of God. I was truly undone by God’s amazing love for me. He ministered to my heart in such big ways. The one phrase that kept repeating to me throughout the conference was that “I am fully loved, not in part.” I want YOU to know this too, and feel it deeply. No matter where you are, what your circumstance is, you are FULLY loved, not in part. YOU are. And finally…Book deal. My publisher appointments went great! Harper Collins, which is the Christian division of Zondervan, took both my one sheet and my book proposal. I was told that they only take things back with them on the plane if they are very interested. I also know that it can take as long as a year for them to take it through acquisitions etc., so I am patiently waiting to see what God wants. I absolutely loved the publisher, and I pray that I might get the chance to work with her one day. Listen though…I have no grand plans of being a published author. I know the chances of having a book published are very slim. I simply want to honor God, and if that means my book only reaches a few hands, THOSE are the hands God intended it for. I am forever grateful for this experience, and I want to take what I’ve learned and GROW and GO! God has given me an even bigger desire to further His kingdom and love His people. I’m so thankful for God’s people who are faithful to love and pray for me. Thank you for following along on this Jesus Journey with me. I love you friends.

Moving is a lot of work, it’s exhausting. The inside of my brain usually feels like string cheese after a move. My body aches like someone may have snuck into my room overnight and beat me with a small hammer. Can you relate? Of course you can, because we’ve all lived it. No one wakes up and says “You know what I’d love to do today? I’d love to pack everything I own and move!” Ick! Moving can also be an incredible blessing. If you take careful inventory of all that God is doing in your life, and what His plan is, it can bring so many sweet rewards. During our 18 years of marriage my husband and I have had our fair share of “fun” moving experiences. So far none of them have ended in divorce. I must admit, there may have been some Christian cussing involved in some of our earlier moving adventures. I have since repented. My husband has a less than stellar packing ability, and by that I mean he’s terrible at it. No really…he is. Now that isn’t to say he’s not a hard worker. He’s one of the hardest workers I know. He busts his tail for his family every day. He’s even incredibly patient with the OCD decorator who lives in my head. Hanging pictures and moving this and that “just a little to the right, no to the left, no back…” You get the picture. When it comes to packing though, he has a “toss it in and go” mentality.An “it’s all good” philosophy. And I want to fall over and die. I remember during one of our earlier moves when he propped his Mountain bike tire up against our beautiful bedroom armoire. I asked him to at least put some padding in between them and his response was “It’s a rubber tire, it won’t hurt the wood.” Yeah…So I’m not sure I could adequately describe what occurred when he opened the doors of the moving van, but I’ll try. I’m sure you can imagine how things tend to shift after crossing 5 states. When he opened the doors of our moving truck it was like a scene from a movie, only all in slow motion.

The mountain bike came rolling down the moving truck ramp. Oh, and it was dragging a glass table with it, which shattered on impact. The bike had a good bit of damage as well. Also little things kept crashing all around. Picture frames, vases, you know…things that weren’t properly secured down at all. Then I saw it…the horror. The beautiful wooden armoire looked like a mountain bike had done burn outs and doughnuts all over it. It was beyond ruined. Moving is hard. It’s messy. We can try our best to make it go smoothly, to keep things tidy, but no matter how good you pack, it’s always a lot of work. During our most recent move I was so surprised by how dirty our rental home was. I think most people who visit my home would say that I keep it very clean, but really it was only neat and tidy on the surface. You know the important parts…where people could “see.” When I pulled back the couches, dressers, and beds it was filthy. There were long lost LEGO treasures, a trail of stale Cheerios, dust bunnies the size of a small horse, and several items that were unidentifiable. Gross! I wouldn’t want anyone to see that! It reminded me how we tend to make everything appear neat and tidy on the surface of our own lives. What does it look like under the surface though…when we peel back the layers of our own heart? We can hide our ugly from others, but Jesus knows all. He knows all the secret places that need major cleaning. He wants to take our ugly and make it new. Take our dirty and wash it clean. If the door of our heart opened up what would tumble out? What would come crashing down? We don’t want others to see the ugly, but God sees EVERYTHING, shouldn’t THAT be all we care about? I want God to look at my heart and say that it is lovely. I want it to be a place worthy of His presence. I want Him to own ALL of it, not just a few tidy rooms. Every dusty corner and dark hidden place can be made new. He will create in us a beautiful new home that is spotless. Create in ME a clean heart, Oh God; and renew a right spirit within me. Psalms 51:10

So two weeks ago my 7 year old son came to us, completely unprompted, and said he really wanted to get baptized. We asked him why, and what baptism meant to him. On his own he began to lay out his reasons in a manner that really surprised us. He told us how he had invited Jesus into his heart while praying in his bed. He said he loved Jesus and wanted to follow him with all his heart. He told us that he wanted to have a new life in Christ and be re-born in Him. He explained that he knew he wasn’t literally going to be re-born, but that going under the water symbolizes dying to yourself, and being raised with Christ. He was so excited, and we were excited for him! My hubby and I prayed that evening, and thanked God for our son’s childlike faith, and for his willing and courageous heart. I know that some people in the church have an issue with young children getting baptized. Some Christians say it doesn’t matter to the child enough at such a young age, that it doesn’t really “stick.” They feel like the child doesn’t even fully understand the true importance of what they’re doing. In fact some parents just decide that their child can wait until they (<--the parents) are ready. Well over the last two weeks I’ve really prayed and searched the word on this issue, and I thought I would share some of my heart on this subject with you. (If you care haha!) First of all, who am I to squelch his child like faith? Who am I to deny him and say you’re too young, and your faith is too small? Would he feel like maybe his salvation wasn’t quite as important if say a 10 year old could get baptized and he could not? And if he’s too young to get baptized yet, is he too little to shine his light for Jesus too? Is he too young to have an impact on this world? I say NO! I say go out to ALL the world and share your fierce love for Jesus son. Shine as bright as you can in a dark and dying world. Show love and BE love. So tomorrow on June 28th, 2015 my son will be baptized. And yes…this Mommy will cry. Now I’m not saying we should coerce our kids into baptism, but if they run to you with wild abandon excited to be baptized because of love for THEIR super BIG God who are we to say no? Who really cares what I have to say though? What is REALLY important is what the Bible has to say. There are a lot of verses about baptism, But I LOVE this one…. And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized EVERY one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your CHILDREN and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Himself.” Acts 2:38-39 And then there’s this… Jesus said “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14 So my son wants to be baptized. He feels like God is calling him to come into the water and find a new life with Him. I will not hinder him. I know how shy my son is, and how he NEVER wants to go on stage at our church. THIS is a big deal to him to stand in front of 500+ people and profess his faith. Believe me…he is nervous, but he wants to be brave because of his BIG God. Today he asked his Daddy to practice with him in the pool so he would know what to do. He is not taking this lightly. My heart melted. I am so thankful to be a part of a church who loves and leads our kids to the feet of Jesus. Our church encourages kids that they have an important role to play in the kingdom of heaven. After all aren’t they the future world changers? I’m especially thankful for our incredible godly and humble Pastor who leads our church with love and humility and NEVER waters down the word. Our Pastor can straight bring it, and I’m so grateful for his leadership and wisdom in my life. I want so much more for my son than this world has to offer. More than education, wealth, friends, and yes even his good health (as hard as that is for a Momma to say.) More than anything, I wish for him a life sold out and devoted to Jesus. This world will soon pass away, but I pray that he sets his heart and eyes upon Jesus all the days of his life. No matter what your age, I say RUN…run to the feet of Jesus! Let Him wash you and make you new! Don’t wait! The time is now! Be Blessed Friends! Love, Tj

Ladies do you ever feel that you have no voice for the kingdom of God? That nothing that you do truly matters, at least in the “big” scheme of things? I mean sure we can throw one heck of a bake sale, make some mind blowing wake up coffee, we can lovingly wipe the snotty noses of children who don’t even belong to us in the nursery, but does it matter? Do the things we say and do have an impact? Maybe legalistic people or views on women's roles in the church have sought to shut your mouth? Do you know that NO MATTER what you are doing, you can make a huge impact for Christ? Yep…you there reading this, YOU can! This verse was shared with me this week and it really spoke truth to my heart. "The Lord announces the word, and the WOMEN who proclaim it are a MIGHTY throng." PS 68:11 Wow! Isn't that awesome! We are a mighty throng! This verse speaks to women directly on the power of our voice when we proclaim Him. Our voice has a place! We are the front lines for our families and children. We CAN be a voice to women all around us! Proclaim Him! Stand up! WE are a MIGHTY throng! Hooray! Please feel free to take a small pause to do a happy joy joy Jesus dance. You’re welcome! Let me say this too...we WILL have those who oppose us. Satan will always send someone to try to shut your mouth, especially if you are a woman proclaiming the truth. You won't face near as much adversity if you are a liar, Satan loves liars and those who seek to lead God's people down the wrong path. How do we respond though when people oppose us? In Romans 15 verse 1-3 it says... "We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please our neighbors for THEIR good, to build THEM up. For EVEN Christ did not please Himself, but as it is written: The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me." So when you are insulted or someone seeks to put you to shame for speaking out about God remember who bears our insults. It's so easy to want to lash out when we are hurt, but the strong should bear with the failings of the weak. Love them anyway...Forgive them anyway...God knows and sees your hurts. Let Him bear the weight so that you can let go and DO what He has called you to do! I love what Paul goes on to say in Romans 16 about WOMEN who had roles to play in God's kingdom...Women! Can you believe that!? We actually ARE important! Hooray! (I’m sorry I get a little giddy.) He talks about Phoebe a "deacon" of the church, and Priscilla his co-worker in Christ. He goes on and on about women who work hard for Christ. So after Paul commends these ladies (and a few men) he asks OTHERS to honor and receive them too. He says starting in verse 17-20 "I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you." So yeah...that is awesome! Never let those who seek to divide and create obstacles stand in the way of what God has called you to do. Time is too precious and your purpose, your calling is waiting. Proclaim it WOMEN! Far too many of us have been silent for far too long! Use your voice! WHAT is God calling YOU to do? Go ahead sister someone who needs the truth is listening. "You have the audience of many, but only need to care about the opinion of ONE. Love, Tj Robbins